One of England's most beloved stately homes, Knebworth House is famous worldwide for its rock concerts and as the home of Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer Lytton - author of the words "The pen is mightier than the sword" - this beautiful gothic mansion is situated 29 miles north of London off the A1(M) at Stevenage.

Designing the gates for Knebworth was a two year project which involved the local planning authority, heritage and conservation specialists.

The Brief- design and manufacture replica gates to fit into the water tower archway at rear of courtyard. The gates match and complement the original Knebworth House gates seen at the far side of the courtyard.

The house had security problems with this archway entrance and needed the area to be closed most of the time particularly during private events and filming.

These ancient gates have distinctive spiral uprights and an unusual leave pattern motif. The square verticals are turned on edge and all horizontal bars widen at this point. Using moulds taken from the surface of the originals the castings were modelled again specially for the project. Inverted urns at the top corners of the gates were lathe turned from solid steel. Because of the immense weight of each gate a recessed track and lathe turned wheel carries the load.

The result- The gates appear to have been in place for decades. The nature of the courtyard has changed, it now becomes a private place. A very secure barrier has been created protecting the house from criminals and reducing the opportunity of theft.